Absent Duhan van der Merwe's injury situation addressed ahead of Scotland's Six Nations campaign

The winger will miss his club’s European Challenge Cup tie against Black Lion on Sunday as a result of the sprain he suffered last weekend against Vannes.

Van der Merwe was seen clutching his ankle after scoring against the French side but Everitt is confident Scotland’s all-time leading try-scorer will be able to return to training next week. In his absence, academy prospect Lewis Wells will make his Edinburgh debut against Black Lion at Hive Stadium.

“Duhan couldn’t prepare well on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - he had swelling around the ankle after spraining it against Vannes,” explained Everitt. “Lewis has trained with us the whole week, so he earns a call-up.”

Scotland begin their Six Nations campaign against Italy at home on February 1. Edinburgh have another match - against Scarlets away next Saturday - before then but Everitt does not believe it will be necessary for van der Merwe to prove his match fitness in that game.

“Duhan has played enough rugby as it is up until now,” said the coach. “This injury that he has is not Six Nations-threatening, and I’m sure that he’ll be able to train as well as he can on Monday.”

Van der Merwe, who has scored 30 tries in 44 matches for Scotland, was a key player in last year’s Six Nations campaign, scoring a double over Wales and a hat-trick against England, the only two games Scotland won.

Wells, 22, joined Edinburgh’s pro-academy in the summer, having enjoyed an impressive rise from Linlithgow RFC to the Super Series with Heriot’s where he impressed Everitt.

“On my arrival in Edinburgh I was invited to the Watsonians-Heriot’s game and he was the guy that caught my eye,” said the coach. “So we’ve been watching him closely. He performed well in the Super Series and we felt he was a good prospect for us, so we brought him into the senior academy and he’s been training as a full professional with us for the last seven months. He’s come on in leaps and bounds and put in some good performances for the ‘A’ team, and we feel now that he’s ready to start his career as a pro player by giving him his debut in Europe.”

Meanwhile, Harry Paterson will continue his return from injury when he plays for Edinburgh’s ‘A’ team against Scotland Under-20 behind closed doors this weekend. Paterson, 23, has played only one game for Edinburgh this season. He missed the start of the campaign after cutting his foot then suffered a hamstring injury after being called up by Scotland for the Autumn Nations Series.

“Harry has only been training with us fully for two weeks. He has gone through a spate of injuries, so we are treating him with caution,” said Everitt.

Paterson, who can play wing or full-back, enjoyed a memorable Scotland debut against France in the Six Nations last year then impressed on the national side’s summer tour. But his progress has hampered by a number of medical setbacks.

“I think it’s been a tough three years for him as a pro rugby player - he’s been hounded by injuries over the years - and this year particularly, because once you’ve had a debut like that against France at Murrayfield you want to kick on and get some consistency,” added Everitt. “Rugby, unfortunately, is one of those sports where injuries will come your way at some stage. Hopefully he’s over that now and it’s for us to get him back to his best. That’s our job, and it starts this week with a good performance in the ‘A’ team, and obviously he’s got an opportunity to put his hand up for selection for a start next week.”